BIG CITY

First of all, I'm sorry. I have not been much of a blogger. If you are reading this it makes me wonder why you haven't given up on me and found something valuable to do with your time. But, I will keep plugging away now and then.

BIG CITY TIME

We work with a fun little family. Ariel and Fernanda Albornoz. Ariel's name looks like he could be a mermaid, but is pronounced Aud e el. They are hard working folks with a very simple life. (If you remember the rodeo, Adiel is the huaso that took us to see the Chilean rodeo.

A selfie at work with the vacas

A selfie while helping his wife at work. He was on vacation.

Fernanda picking potatoes. That day Ariel and Fernanda filled 7 of those large white bins in the background.

Well, Ariel told us that Fernanda had never seen the Santiago temple and she would like to go see the grounds. That was a bit of a surprise to us because she is Catholic and her and Ariel live together without marriage. Evidently her first husband was rather abusive and she doesn't like the marriage idea anymore. Ariel says she likes the doctrines of our church, but holds herself back for various reasons. Ariel would love to be baptized, but knows he can't at the present.

So, off to the BIG CITY with our friends.

Fernanda and her daughter Almendra

Ariel and Fernanda by the temple

Group shot

After the temple grounds we headed to Cerro Santa Lucia. That is an historic hill in the center of Santiago with some cool history and scenery. A palace that became a fort during some of Chile's political struggles.

The first of thousands of steps for climbing and exploring

The original palace. Added onto many times.

One of several statues and churches on the hill.

After reaching the summit we are almost back down.

Another church seen from an overlook.

The back gate to the hill.

I guess one of the best part for me was successfully driving in Santiago, finding the temple and returning home without having to call in a search party. We love spending time with these wonderful people. Our hope is that through our friendship we may help them find their way inside the temple someday and enjoy the peace and happiness that comes with the covenants made there.

Hasta la proxima, Until next time.

Christmas memories

Certainly nothing to fancy in this post, but some good memories of some awesome friends. Our company held a Christmas party for the full time employees and their families. It was very American in someways, but Chilean in others. It was a great day with some great people.

A very nice outside setting. Fitting for the farm in summer.

One of the first activities of the day was a great opportunity to be a permanent part of this farm. As you may remember the farm is only about 4 years old. It is still growing and developing. As part of a future picnic/soccer(futbol)/party complex they had each family plant a tree for the picnic area. We got to plant our tree and there will be a plaque affixed with our name. We will forever be part of the farm.

Barbara with our palta tree. That is "avocado" for gringos.

 Here is a very Chilean part of the Christmas party. You just can't have a party here without a BBQ.

A 12 foot grill eventually filled with chicken, pork and beef.

Now for the American part. These have become a big thing here. We saw them all over for days before Christmas.

Blow-ups, Volleyball, Trampoline and Ping Pong,

And of course, in summer on a farm, how else is Santa going to come? A pick-up was fitting.

Now for a little more touring and shopping. It is the Christmas season. But, it seemed strange to only have to buy two gifts. I think Grandma had a hard time not buying and giving pajamas to her nietos (grandkids).

A great little town in the hills close to where we go to church is Pomaire. (pronounced Po my day) They are famous for a unique kind of soil they fashion into some great clay pots. A relaxing day of strolling down a little street looking at a variety of clay wares.

A great Pomaire find that brightened our house for the holidays was this little Chilean nativity. The star is complements of our little chalkboard, but it worked.

Worthy of a close up

We had our own little nativity on Christmas Eve. Our friends here invited us over for supper and their traditional reading of Luke 2.

With shepherds in the distance, a dumb ass sits quietly by the miracle.

Our complete cast, narrator and all.

This last Pomaire pic ended up being Barbara's Christmas. It is hard to explain what it felt like the first time we saw this hanging in one of the little shops. In Spanish we would say "tranquilo." Remembering your cognates you can probably figure out what we felt. It has a balance and softness that is hard to describe. We hope in a year we can transport it home without crunching it.

This hangs about five feet long and has a delicate sound when moving.